


Throne of Roses

by eeveesqwee



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Corrupted Charlie (Hazbin Hotel), F/F, Falling In Love Again, Multi, Past Abuse, Sexual Content, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:40:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22565689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eeveesqwee/pseuds/eeveesqwee
Summary: Everything was perfect and then it wasn't.After waking up from a long mysterious sleep, Vaggie finds herself in the Happy Hotel with no sign of her friends and no memory of what happened prior. Searching for answers, she finds her sweet, optimistic girlfriend replaced with a cold, bitter tyrant that rules over hell with an iron fist.
Relationships: Angel Dust/Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne/Vaggie
Comments: 21
Kudos: 89





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first multi-chapter fic with actual plot, so I'm equally excited and nervous. Wish me luck ^^
> 
> I also have another multi-chapter fics in the works atm (my radiodusters, look out for it), will be a dark fic so im eager to explore!
> 
> Btw tags will be added as the story goes on

The thunderous sound of horns reverberates.

Vaggie jolts up from her bed, spear appearing in her hand instinctively. A sharp pain stabs through her head, causing her spear to slip through trembling fingers as she grasped her head with a pained gasp.

"Fuck-!" She rasps through gritted teeth, slowly stumbling out of bed and pressing herself onto the wall. She clutches the wet, moldy wallpaper- trying to control her breathing until the pain ebbed away into a dull throb.

Upon opening her eye, her jaw drops. Her room was completely destroyed, wallpaper peeling and broken windows boarded up completely. The bathroom door was ripped from its hinges, tiles stained a dark red. Her dresser was empty and caked with dirt and mold. The ceiling leaks brown water through the cracks, the carpet stained with questionable amounts of fluids. She scrunches up her nose at the pungent musky smell of piss, covering her nose.

 _What in the hell? Was this some sick joke?_ Her immediate thoughts went to Angel, that asshole would have a blast destroying her things. But he couldn't have made this much of a mess within the past hour. This was more up Alastor's alley. She growls, glaring at the remainder of her room.

Just as she's about to leave her room to go scream at the deer, horns blast through her ears again, making her fall to her knees and clutch her head. It didn't stop, getting louder with each passing second.

She's practically writhing on the floor when the seemingly final and loud horn stops. Leaving her gasping for air after choking on her saliva. Chest heaving, her hands frantically reach for her mouth and stomach, bile raising up her throat. She tries to hold it in but before she could swallow it down, black vomit escapes her lips and fingers, splattering onto the floor below her. Another wave of bile escapes her mouth then another and another until she's left a shuddering mess barely able to hold herself up off the revolting floor. She groans, swallowing and wincing at the soreness she's left with. Her dress was a mess, the sour smell making her queasy again.

"Charlie..."She croaks, climbing to her feet slowly. Her head pulsed, vision dizzy before stumbling up and forward. She needed to find Charlie.

Going into the hallway, her heart drops at the state of the halls. The walls were covered with graffiti and dry body fluids she wasn't going to think about. The wooden floors were moldy and broken off, furniture flipped over or missing. It waved a red flag in her mind amidst the lightheadedness.

Passing a few rooms, she examines the paintings on the walls. They were written over, painted their own pictures. She finally stops in front of one with Charlie and Lilith, Lilith's and Charlie's faces scratched out. Beside them, written in graffiti, "An eye for an eye."

She scowls at the words, walking down the hallway until she finally met the stairs. Nobody down below in the lobby or bar area, only more broken furniture and graffiti covering the walls.

She doesn't waste any time walking down the stairs to the front desk, no one behind the dirty thing. Husk wasn't manning the bar, Angel wasn't on his usual spot by the window, not even Niffty was anywhere in sight.

Stepping behind the desk, she wasted no time opening up the guest book. Skimming through the pages in a hurry, she finally stops on the final entry.

_December 30, 2019. 11:48 A.M._

This...was today. What could’ve happened in a span of a few hours? Were they attacked by overlords? How did she sleep through it all? Scanning the rest of the page, she only finds one name. _Seraphine_.

"What? I don't remember any..."She trails off, eye staring at the paper."...I don't remember anything."

Shutting the book, she sprints to the office. The adrenaline was starting to kick in, and tries to open the door, only to find it shut tight as if it were blocked. Sighing and running a hand through her hair, she walks back and forth anxiously.

Why couldn't she remember? All she could recall was waking up to Charlie's smiling face and then nothing, just blank. Was she even remembering the right day? Did Vox manage to go through her brain and put her in a stimulation to extract information?

Without another thought, she pushes out the front doors of the hotel and into the busy streets of Pentagram City, relieved that at least these doors opened without a hitch.

The skies were hues of oranges and reds, an indication that "nightfall" was to come. She gazes out to the bustling streets, sinners all around creating all sorts of trouble. Down the street she saw a few demons fighting it out, blood and gore splattered all over the place. Down an alleyway, she could pinpoint a demon getting a blowjob. She cringes, walking down the steps of the hotel. She doesn't notice the frail, tall cat demon on the sidewalk until she speaks up in a hoarse voice. "Got any crack on you?"

Vaggie jumps slightly, turning to the yellow tabby, her green eyes tired. _Well that relief was short lived_ , she thought.

"Well?" The tabby's tail wagged on the dirty floor.

"N...No. Do I look like I'd carry drugs?" Vaggie can't stop her growing irritation, glowering down at the cat demon.

"You just came out of a drug house, how can you not have any on you?" She gets up, claws extending and towering over Vaggie. "I know you have some, just let me have a little. I'll pay you back, come on."

Vaggie bristles, summoning her spear and whipping the end close to the druggie's throat."Come any closer and-"

The tabby's eyes widen, hands up and shaking."H-Holy fuck! I just wanted some drugs! I didn't know you were one of them!"

Vaggie blinks, looking at the cat as if she grew another head. She expected a full on fight, not cowardice. She was smaller than the tabby, surely the cat wasn't afraid of her. “What? One of them? What are-" Before she could finish her sentence the cat stumbles away from her, screeching with terror.

The surrounding demons turned to her, faces filled with confusion then rage and fear.

"Looks like a little bird wandered off from her nest!"

"She's alone!"

"There's probably more coming! I'm out!"

"Bitch!"

The majority of them fled, hiding in dumpsters, locking themselves inside the surrounding stores and buildings, closing the blinds from the windows. It left her dumbfounded, why were they running? Turning around, she gasps. The state of the hotel was horrendous, rust and dirt covering the entire building. The lights of the Hazbin Hotel sign were off and the H and B in Hazbin were missing. The boat was missing a huge chunk, wires and tubes hanging from the hole. Even that beautiful carousel was missing a few horses.

A decaying hellhole, could this get any worse?

"Hey!"

She spoke too soon.

Turning around, she barely has time to duck when a bottle of dark liquid flies over her and hits the hotel doors behind her. Fire explodes, glass and wood flying everywhere. She lifts her hands to cover her face, searing fire scraping her body. She flies from the force, rolling across the floor with a cry of pain. Demons around her scream and roar profanities.

She smells burning hair, eyes whipping open in alarm. Stumbling to her feet, she feels extreme, excruciating heat crawling up her back. Her hair was on fire! In one panicked motion she uses her spear to slice a huge chunk of her hair off, nearly avoiding any more damage to the remaining strands and her body.

Around her, she finds sinners surrounding her with machetes and guns. They looked enraged, scared, ready to risk it all. She didn't know what for.

"Get her!"

"Tear the bitch apart!"

Without hesitation, she whips around and she sprints in the opposite direction. Fear grips her chest, making her stumble and bump into demons. She shoves them away, desperate to get away from the pounding feet behind her.

More and more joined in, chanting. "Exorcist! Exorcist! Exorcist!"

Turning a corner sharply, she sprints faster before turning down an alley and squeezing herself tight against the wall behind a dumpster in an attempt to lose them. Once she hears the demons pass her, she sags down with her heart threatening to tear through her ribcage and gulping air as much she can.

She stays there, not budging until the skies begin to darken to a blood red. Never in her time here was she treated like some demon that needed to be killed on sight. She knew she looked harmless, not a single glance from fellow sinners that were going on about their day. But this..this was new. Horrifyingly new. Looking up, she grimaces. The cold is gonna set in soon.

She touches her burnt hair, the smell still fresh. It felt distorted and crunchy, a sadness overcoming her. She was never obsessed with her looks but she loved her hair, loved taking care of it, loved feeling Charlie's fingers run through it. Now, it is gone.

Standing up and swallowing her sorrow, she pats her rump for any dirt. She needed to find somewhere to stay quick, the nights in hell were freezing. She couldn't go back to the hotel, not with the mob lurking around. More importantly, she needed to find Charlie.

Exiting the alleyway, she glances back and forth for any sign of the mob of sinners and walks the opposite direction, hoping she wouldn’t spot them or they wouldn’t spot her anytime soon.

She passes a few demons, some giving her dirty, fearful looks. She doesn't notice. Her eyes are focused ahead, lost in her own thoughts. Where was everyone? Were they okay? _Of course they are, Charlie and Alastor can beat anyone in a fight._ She shakes her head trying to clear it of any doubt, heels clicking against the pavement, mirroring how her heart beat anxiously in her chest. There was no time for a panic attack, no time for worrying over false thoughts. They were fine.

She doesn't know how far she walks, but before she knows it, she's on the ghetto side of town. The Happy Hotel wasn't in the uppity, "safe" side of the city where all the natural born demons and overlords reside but it still wasn't on the shitty side of town. The buildings around her were shabby, broken. Not a single demon in sight.

She shivered, pressing her hands to her mouth. They were icy cold, breathing hot air into them in a sad attempt to warm them. It was getting degrees colder, seeing her breath turn to mist. She regrets wearing a dress for this long, what was she thinking? Her arms and legs were numb, goosebumps covering her grey skin. She stops, wrapping her arms around herself.

_Why didn't Charlie wake me up? She wouldn't just leave me....would she?_

It's quiet, too quiet. The pit in her stomach drops when she hears the familiar haunting howl of wind echo throughout the streets. A blast of wind knocks her off her feet, blowing her a few feet away, grunting when she falls flat on her stomach. Getting up in a second, she looks around frantically.

_Today's the extermination!? What the hell!? It's months away!_

Across the street, she sees an open door down a dark alleyway. A part of her told her she wasn't going to come out if she went inside. But her chances of living were higher.

"Fuck it." She growls and sprints across the street just as the haunting sirens go off.

She doesn't look up as shadows fly over her, dashing into the pitch darkness and slamming the door behind her.

She pants, pressing herself against the rotting wooden door. It smelled musty in here, like weed, old food and dirty laundry. Sliding down the door, she leans her head back. She would be safe for now, she just hoped none of them saw her. She doesn't hear anything, but she does see a dim light from another door in the darkness.

Suddenly the door swings open, a bright light hitting her face making her flinch.

"Alright, who's in here!? Don't think I won't hesitate to blast your ass into next Wednesday, bitch!"

The light made it hard to see who it was but knowing it was a woman calms her nerves just a bit.

With a flick of a switch, the lights in the small room flicker on.

At the entrance of the door stood a familiar face. Cherri Bomb, Angel's close friend.

Cherri had a gun in her hand, the flashlight in the other. "You. Get out. I don't take in lost lambs."

"The extermination, it's happening right now-"

"Not my fault you couldn't find a place to stay, dipshit. Now get the fuck out, I got holy bullets in here."

"Cherri, please-"

Cherri narrows her eye, glaring down at Vaggie. "Who are you? How do you know my name?" She aims the gun at Vaggie, a clear shot to her forehead.

"It's me, V-Vaggie. Angel Dust's friend, his co-worker." She stammers, hands raised above her head.

Cherri lowers her gun slightly, dropping her flashlight, confusion spreading across her face. "Angel Dust...you know Angie?"

Vaggie nods, feeling confused herself. While she didn't speak much to Cherri, they've had plenty of conversations and she visited the hotel often. She didn't understand why she was acting like she's never seen Vaggie's face before.

Cherri eyes her, gun still aimed. "Wait...I do know you. You're that," She snaps her fingers, trying to remember. "You're that manager chick from that hotel with the stick up her ass."

Vaggie frowns at the insult, but bites back her retort. Instead she nods, "That's me."

Cherri finally drops her gun, taking off the towel wrapped around her hair. She wore a comfortable two-piece pajama, bare feet touching the floor. Steam escaped behind her, finally seeing the bathroom. "Need to use the bathroom or something?"

Vaggie shakes her head, still on the floor."No..."

Vaggie examines the room as Cherri heads over to an iron wood oven on the left corner of the room. It was a tiny room with a couch in the right corner in front of a small tv, surrounded by plenty of boxes. In front of the iron wood oven was a small table, big enough for two. There was a freezer right beside her she finally notices, taking up the majority of the left side of the room. Other than that, there were no windows.

"You wanna come sit down or do you normally sit on the floor?" Cherri tosses in some wood to start up the oven, placing a pot on top to cook.

Vaggie shakily stands up, using the door as leverage. Cherri had her back to her, throwing in a few spices into the pot. How easily she could throw her spear into her, pretty stupid she'd say. Sitting down in a chair in front of the table, she eyes the newspaper on the wall beside the table. Some titles grabbed her attention.

**Overlords' Camille, Velvet, and The Radio Demon Missing. Who's the Overlord Killer?**

**Happy Hotel A Failure, Princess A Laughing Stock**

**The Fall of the First Sinners**

**Exterminations, A Nightly Sweep**

Vaggie practically rips them off the wall, frantic eyes reading over a few sentences before they're ripped from her hold.

"The fuck! You think staples are free around here? Now I gotta search for them in this dump!"

Vaggie doesn't process her words, staring at the table with wide eyes.

Cherri drops the papers on the table, eyebrow raising quizzically. She said nothing despite wanting to, Vaggie was acting peculiar but then again it wasn’t her place. She returns to stirring the chili, adding the last bit of seasoning.

Silence, only the sounds of bubbling and a spoon tapping against the walls of a pot permeated through the air, then,

"What year is it?"

"What?"

"What year is it?" she asks again more frantic and distraught.

"Uh, 2224? I think...I lost track after 2201 honestly."

The chair falls back onto the floor with a loud thud, Vaggie rushing and slamming the bathroom door behind her. She barely makes it to the toilet before she vomits black liquid. She heaves as it only continued to come out, struggling to breathe. She could hear the distant horns in her head, echoing and pulsing. Just yesterday, it was 2019. Over two hundred years have passed. And she didn't remember any of it. She couldn't even remember the last thing that happened before waking up.

Gripping her head, she whimpers. It hurts. It hurts so much it was unbearable. Like someone was shoving a stick through her ears and pressing down on her eyes, it was too much.

There's pounding on the door that did nothing to help the situation. "If you made a mess in there, you better clean it up!"

Vaggie doesn't reply, still heaving, wondering how many more times she was going to go through this today. She swallows the tightness in her throat. She wasn't going to cry, crying solved nothing. If the Happy Hotel was really shut down, she could only imagine how awful Charlie was feeling right now. She needed to hold her, and know if she was okay.

Making sure everything was out, she flushes the toilet and cleans up the mess. Going over to the sink, she turns on the water and washes her hands. She hisses, finding the burns she received from the molotov. She needed to bandage them when she got the chance.

She looks at the mirror, finally getting a glance of her reflection. She was a mess. Her hair was choppy, uneven, burnt. One side was a bit longer than the other, making her look like some 7-year old who tried to cut their hair for the first time. Her eye patch was missing, exposing her dark, empty eye-socket. Her face was smeared with dirt and smoky ash.

Opening the mirror, she finds what she was hoping for. Scissors and medical items. Shutting it, she gives her hair one last, longing look then snips the uneven parts. Platinum grey strands fall to the dirty tiled floor, shimmering in the light.

Cherri is placing two bowls of chili on the table when Vaggie comes out. Her hair is right below her chin now, a bob-cut that frames her face. She had a medical eye patch covering her missing eye, gauze wrapped around her hands.

"Hm. Nice to know you fixed your looks, it was getting distracting."

Vaggie fidgets, "I need to leave."

"Are you fucking serious? Right now? During a nightly sweep?" Cherri plops her ass down on the chair, shaking her head. "I even served you some of my homemade chili, but okay. Have fun dying."

Vaggie stands there for a moment, unsure of herself. Sighing, she sits down across Cherri. Picking up her spoon, she stares at the red meat with a hint of disgust. The smell only made her queasy again.

"You gonna eat it or what?" Cherri raises her single brow. "Pfft, my 8-year old nephew could eat anything. He was a literal blackhole, swallowed everything and still hungry."

"...I'm going to ask you a few questions and I need you to answer them honestly."

"Rude ass." Cherri scoffs, taking a spoonful of chili.

Vaggie stares at her seriously.

Cherri looks at her, annoyed before rolling her eye, "Shoot."

"...What happened to the Happy Hotel?"

"Shut down obviously. You read the newspaper."

"No. What really happened. And The Radio Demon, Alastor, why is he missing?"

"How am I supposed to know? I wasn't there. As for that creepy fuck, hell if I know, probably dead. Good for the rest of us honestly. One less enemy to keep track of."

That didn't sit right with her. Alastor couldn't be dead. He couldn't be. He was Alastor. All the times he's won a battle with his eyes closed were too many to count and he did it with a flick of his wrist. He wouldn't go down just like that, not from some random sinner.

"Where's Angel?"

Cherri's spoon freezes, her other hand twitching. Her eye looked sad, guilty. "...I don't know."

Vaggie closes her eye, exhaling. Just another thing that didn't sit right with her. Angel was always the center of attention, craving it. If he wasn't in the porn industry, where was he?

"How about Husk? Niffty?"

Cherri continues eating, "Not gonna lie. I only paid attention to you, Angie, Radio Dude, and her royal shittiness."

Vaggie scowls, "Don't talk about her like that."

Cherri glares right back, a smirk growing across her face. "Oh~? Don't like it when I talk bad about your master?"

Vaggie gapes, a loss of words at first before anger flares up just as quickly. She stands up, eye blazing with indignation. "You know nothing about our relationship. We stand on equal grounds."

Cherri stands up too, crossing her arms. She was as tall as Charlie, stronger too. "Oh really? That's not what I remember. I remember seeing a lost little puppy licking at her feet just for a few pats on the head just to be left in the dust again."

Vaggie's fists tighten besides her, bow curling and uncurling.

Cherri sighs, sitting back down. "Now are you gonna sit down and eat your food like a good girl or do I need to go look for a dog whistle too?"

Vaggie sits down, glowering at the bowl of chili as if it were the bane of her existence right now. Her shoulders slump, exhausted, the anger leaving as quickly as it came. She wasn't hungry, she wanted to lay down but she knows she won't sleep. She wanted to lay down next to Charlie, feel her arms around her, combing through her hair, singing her a lullaby.

"So...was she finally done with you or something?" Cherri finally chirps up, tone curious but also indifferent.

"Huh?" Vaggie looks up, giving her a tired glare.

"Well...there must be a reason why you're here and not at the Magne Mansion."

Vaggie looks back down, "....I think something went very wrong. I don't remember anything. I just remember waking up alone at the hotel...everything else is like a blur with bits and parts, here and there."

"...Amnesia?" Cherri sounds astonished, sitting back against the chair.

Vaggie shrugs. "I don't know..."

"...So you're saying you don't know anything about what your girlfriend did?"

Vaggie only rubs her eye, growing annoyed. Why couldn't she just get to the point. "Look, I don't know shit. I just woke up and everything is wrong."

Cherri slams her spoon on the table. "She's the reason why my whole gang is dead!"

Vaggie looks at her, eye wide. Cherri's own eye was blazing with rage, face contorted in a way that showed her deep rooted hatred. She wanted vengeance.

"My whole gang, killed in a single night. I couldn't even save one." Cherri trembles, gripping the edge of the table, the edges splintering under her nails. "If I could get my hands on her, I'd wring her skinny little neck."

Vaggie swallows. She's never seen Cherri this angry, this hateful.

"I..."

"She's done a lot of things," Cherri smiles bitterly, "Fucked up the entire system. Harder to scavenge. Harder to survive."

"I...I don't understand."

"Your girlfriend, Charlotte, right?" Cherri finally looks at her, "She's been the queen of hell for the past century.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the comments! ;w; They mean a lot! 
> 
> This chapter is short but its to set things in motion, hope ya'll don't mind! Next chapter, definitely longer!

"This is the deal. You can stay here for the night but tomorrow morning, I need you outta here.  _ Capiche _ ?"

Vaggie nods, wearing a new set of clothes, a large baggy shirt and a pair of sweats. She just came out of the shower, hair still damp but drying up quickly. Her dress was hanging in the bathroom, having been washed and currently drying on a hanger. A state way preferable than hours prior.

Cherri had made a spot for her on the floor between the couch and television, blankets covering the area in an attempt at a makeshift bed. It looked comfortable enough but the moment she lays down, the cold, hard floor seeps through. 

  
  
Despite her discomfort, Cherri was already getting herself comfortable on the couch, tugging a blanket over herself. She flicks the television on, flipping through a few channels(some only static) and stopping on a late night game show.

She hears demented laughter on the other side of the grainy screen as blood-curdling screams begin, chainsaws buzzing, and wet flesh being torn apart. She doesn't look at it but she recognizes it immediately. It was a quiz show. Answer right and you're rewarded, answer wrong and you die. She often saw Alastor watching it, giving his own encouragement and laughter. She criticized him for watching violent, disgusting shows, doing nothing to help his own redemption. But at the moment, she felt comforted. At least the game shows stayed the same.

Facing the ceiling, she traces the cracks and old cobwebs. Niffty would have a fit with how dirty it was in here. Probably throwing out everything she could hold with her little arms. She cracks a small grin at the memory then tries to swallow the tightness forming in her throat. Shaking her head, she turns on her side and squeezes her eye shut. She couldn't sleep. She didn't want to sleep, but she didn't want to be awake either. The night felt long and never ending, the screaming outside distant but ongoing.

Curling up into a tight ball, she grips the blankets close to her body and remembers a distant memory of warm tea and cookies.

_ She wakes up to Charlie's rosy cheeks and sparkling pleased eyes, a delighted smile across her face. She was kneeling in front of her, phone in her hands. _

_ "C-Charlie!" Vaggie jumps slightly, heart jumping. _

_ Charlie giggles sheepishly, rosy cheeks turning bright red. "Sorry! You just looked so cute sleeping, I just had to!" She shows her the phone screen, several pictures of Vaggie sleeping. _

_ Vaggie snorts but smiles, resting back against the tree. It looks like she fell asleep in the garden again. Groaning, she rotates her shoulders, wincing at the soreness. "How long was I gone?" _

_ Charlie skims through her phone, "Just three hours-" _

_ "Three hours!?" Her eye shooting wide open, "You should have woken me up earlier!" _

_ "Relax, relax." Charlie settles herself beside her, hands resting on Vaggie's shoulders. "Alastor was in charge of the front desk while you were gone. He's almost as good as you!" _

_ Vaggie growls, frowning. "Yeah, probably scaring off any potential customers." _

_ "Come on, give him a chance. This is his business too!" Charlie protests,"And if he's gonna scare off any customers, he'll do it right after they check in." _

_ Vaggie scoffs but bites her tongue. She was never gonna trust him, no matter what Charlie said. Alastor was carrying major red flags, it’d be stupid of her to let her guard down. She knew better. _

_ It was a nice day out, warm with no incidents surrounding the area. Without another thought, she crawls into Charlie's lap, sitting sideways. She rests her head on her shoulder, tucking her face into her neck, breathing in Charlie's sweet scent which reminded her of apples and plums. Charlie hums happily above her, wrapping her arms around her and resting her head on hers. She finally relaxes, smiling softly. _

_ "...You looked really peaceful sleeping." Charlie whispers, fingers tracing shapes on her wrists. _

_ "Hmm." Vaggie hums, in-between falling asleep and being awake. _

_ "...It was nice. You always look so scared when you sleep. It scares me." Concern seeps through Charlie's voice, arms tightening around her. "I wanna help you." _

_ "...." _

_ "Will you tell me what you dream about?" _

_ "...I can never remember." Vaggie replies, a truth-lie. _

_ She remembers blistering, burning pain, moving lips - words hard to read - and a pink, bloody eye staring back at her. She can never remember faces, voices, but she can always remember two glowing eyes. They stare at her with ferocity and self-satisfaction.  _

_ Silence and then Charlie speaks. _

_ "...Do you want some milk tea and cookies? Niffty just made some in the kitchen." She was always so patient. _

_ "...That sounds delicious." She wishes she could tell her, because deep down, even if she didn't know, she knew. _

"Wake up!"

Vaggie winces at Cherri's explosive voice, wearily looking up at the cyclops. Cherri was staring down at her, hands on her hips. She wore her usual clothes, torn and messy as they've always been. "I let you sleep in so appreciate it!"

Vaggie sits up, groaning at the pain in her back. That blanket did shit with giving her a good night’s sleep.

"I made breakfast so I hope you're hungry." Cherri walks over to the table, where two bowls of oatmeal sat.

The smell was putrid. Like rotting eggs and milk. 

"I think I'll pass...but," She smells the familiar aroma of coffee, mouth watering. "I'll take a cup of coffee."

"Alright, suit yourself. The pot's on the stove." Cherri is sitting down, eating her oatmeal with disinterest.

Serving herself, she steers clear of the cream and sugar on the table. The queasiness from yesterday hasn't gone away but she wants to fill her stomach with something, even if it's just coffee. Sitting across the cyclops, she takes a sip of the bitter liquid, closing her eye. It was good, not the greatest coffee she's had but it didn't taste awful. Alastor was good at making home-made coffee, she always looked forward to it, even if she never told him.

"After this, I need you outta here. Get your things and go. And never come back either. I don't need Angels at my door just cuz you caused trouble." Cherri confirms her promise from yesterday, stuffing a mouthful of oatmeal. 

Vaggie only nods, sighing out the air she was holding. "Got it."

Cherri stares at her, "Not even gonna fight it?"

"No. This is your home, I'm not gonna intrude." Vaggie sips her coffee. "All I need to know if the Magne Mansion is still at its current location."

"Yes. She isn't going to move a mansion full of family heirlooms." Cherri circles the coffee in her mug, eyeing the creamy substance. "I can tell you this though, it’s gotten bigger and there’s plenty of security surrounding the rich district. Only the ones chosen are invited within the circle, no imps, no natural-borns, just gotta be rich and powerful. And you ain't it."

Vaggie felt her eye twitch, gripping her coffee. While that's always been the case with only the rich and powerful being allowed into the inner circle, security was another issue. When she had been dragged to the mansion, the only sense of security was a large three-headed dog. If you could call Cerebus a guard dog, she was the size of a horse and a heart of gold, always giving them wet kisses.

"There's a huge wall surrounding the district. And let me tell you, it's a strong fucking wall. I've seen it bombed with all sorts of weapons and magic. Nothing has brought it down." Cherri continues, aware of her confusion. "The wall has seven pillars, some sort of holy magic protecting them like cowards. So don’t touch it." She finishes off, drinking the rest of her coffee.

"...That's my first destination."

Cherri stares at her in bewilderment then snorts, growing into a full blown chuckle. "You know, I thought you were the smart one."

Vaggie shoots her a glare, determination flashing through her eye. "I'm going to talk to her."

Cherri only continues to laugh, "Jesus, how dense are you? You think you're the first one who's ever talked to her? She's ruined lives down here! The imps are close to extinction! The ones alive serve under rich, powerful demons that treat them like shit! Sinners come in everyday and die hours later! _Children_ are killed and left hanging as a warning! Even Overlords are missing! Because she does nothing but take and take and take!"

Vaggie's determined scowl doesn't leave her face, pushing down the horror growing inside her. "Nobody knows her like I do."

Cherri gives her one pained look, before sitting back on her chair with slumped shoulders. "If you wanna get over the walls, you'll need help. They're not gonna let some random sinner close to the walls."

"You can help me." Vaggie looks at her, hopeful that she can convince her. "Two is better than one. We could search for the rest of my friends, we could cover land a lot faster together."

Cherri studies her for a few moments then shakes her head. “No...I don’t wanna go out there. I have plans of my own anyways.” With that, she looks away. She didn't have to specify, Vaggie knew. It only made the determination within her burn brighter.

Vaggie grips her warm-ups, glaring at the table. "...Fine. But I will find all of them. Take my word for it."

Cherri doesn't look at her but Vaggie sees the tiny smidge of hope in them. She stands up and heads over to a small chest. Opening it up, she pulls out a few items. "If you're going to search for Angel, you'll need equipment.”

Vaggie perks up, abandoning her chair to see what Cherri pulled out. It was a backpack, moss green and a little battered but still in good condition. Cherri takes out a flip-phone, tossing it into Vaggie's unsuspecting hands. She catches it in time, eyeing the phone and flipping it open. It was on low battery, unsurprisingly, and not much to it compared to the advanced hell phones. Cherri also tosses her a set of clothes, dark and red.

"You should change into something more warm and athletic, it'll help." She continues to search through the chest, not looking up at her.

Without another word, she enters the bathroom and looks at the clothes. Too black and red. She cringes, but her dress was still wet and she wasn't going out with a dress sticking to her body. Slipping off her pajamas, she stares at herself in the mirror. She frowns, tracing her body with her gaze. She hated how small she looked, arms and legs too skinny. 

_ "Weak and useless. Like a twig, ready to snap in half. Your mind is also weak, too sensitive. You really think you have the potential to be out there?" _

Her eye widens, shaking her head as she hears the distant horns in her ears. She grips her head and screws her eye shut, fighting away the pressure. It goes away just as quickly as it came, leaving nothing but disorientation. Opening her eye, she looks around for any hint of where that came from. That voice spoke so clearly to her, so familiar. 

She decides not to think about it.

Cherri finishes just in time for Vaggie to exit the bathroom with her dress scrunched up in her hands. Cherri whistles, gazing at the moth. "You look good!"

Vaggie shifts in her position, looking down at her outfit with doubt. Cherri had given her, what she could call, punk clothes. She wore high-waisted black nylon cargo pants with mid calf chained black boots. She had a red long-sleeved crop top on, her midriff was covered with black mesh. She looked edgy so she wasn't sure how to feel about that. She did like the boots though.

"...Thanks?"

"Take the compliment! Really, it's probably the last time you'll ever hear me say something nice to ya."

"Thanks." Vaggie replies dully, wrapping arms around her exposed skin inadvertently. "Do you have a coat or something?"

"Let me check," Rustling through the chest for a bit then shrugging. "No. Sorry."

Vaggie sighs, "Alright." 

Cherri stands up, handing her the back pack. "Here. It'll be more useful to you then it ever was for me."

Vaggie takes it, taking a glance inside. She saw a few cherri bombs, glittering in the light. A dagger covered in white bandages, the cross symbol embedded on the handle. A holy weapon. A few old gauzes placed inside, a small bottle of alcohol closed tightly. There was other things too, like a flashlight, a small lighter, a phone charger and a wallet. 

“Money?” She looks up at Cherri, surprised that the cyclops actually gave her cash.

“It’s not much but it should last you a few days. Just don’t go wasting it on expensive crap.”

Vaggie nods, putting on the straps. The burning determination returns and blooms in her chest, hands clenching. She heads to the door then stops right just as she’s about to open it. Turning back to Cherri, she opens her mouth to thank her until Cherri cuts her off.

"Don't thank me. I'm only doing this for Angie..." Cherri's eye burns with hidden emotions, "I...I wish I could do it myself but..." She looks down, "The last time we spoke...we didn't end on good terms. I'm sure if I were to go looking for him, he'd just hide away from me. At least with you, I feel like he'd put himself in the open. So I’m counting on you."

"I don't-" Vaggie doubted he'd do that.

"He likes you." She smirks, "You might have been at each other's throats but he's told me plenty that would tell me otherwise."

Vaggie is taken back, a sense of happiness coming over, a small smile spreading on her face.

"So when you find him...tell him I'm still here." 

"...I will."

"Oh! I almost forgot, your cat friend, the one in the hat. It's been a few decades but that last time I saw him, he was at that casino hotel. You know the one with the large cat?" She puts her hands over her head to make a top hat.

_ Jackpot Hotel! Of course! _

Vaggie opens her mouth to thank her but stops herself. She smiles at her before turning serious, "I know you plan to take down Charlie...and I won't let that happen. Let me talk to her, get through to her. I'm sure there's a explanation."

Cherri only smiles sadly, as if she felt pity for Vaggie. "....Sure, kid."

Vaggie gives her one final determined gaze then opens the door and slams it shut behind her.

Looking out to the orange brim-red skies, she walks out of the alley and into the streets. They were fuller than they were yesterday, a few demons littering throughout. Not one gave her any second glances. Her own eyes locked into the distance, downtown Pentagram City. Where bright lights glimmered and fire blazed, buildings tall and proud. 

_ I'm coming, Charlie. Just wait a little longer. _


End file.
